The Western Tradition Lecture Outline 1 What is the Western Tradition 2 When does it originate 3 What is its place in the world before 1500 It is a low ranking society Europe s Dilemma Racially determined Religiously determined Determined by capitalism What is the West East Vs West The notion shows at a time when the world is divided imagine a line through the Atlantic Ocean Europe and Asia are the focus Europe is west and India China is east In between them is the Middle East This is how those terms came to be used How has the West been defined traditionally Ex Washington D C The architecture Pillars statues triangular roof of federal buildings evoke Greek and Roman traditions This Neo Classical style communicates democracy Americans think of the West as a democratic heritage Athens Rome Western Europe USA Defining the West Two Problems 1 Classical Tradition inspires many cultures Greece and Rome inspired many civilizations 2 Much of Classical Tradition does not endure in Western Europe Latin and Christianity are the only similarities Also democracy did not survive the fall of Rome Western Europe doesn t evolve democracy until the 19th century When does democracy originate In the Post Classical period Characteristics were then carried to the modern age 3 Things make the West Different 1 Roman Catholic Christianity Separation of church and state Caesaro Papism Byzantine Fusion of political leader and Pope In Byzantine world Christianity was like a department of the state It gave the state a lot of hold over religious affairs 2 Parliamentary Feudalism Feudalism Kings nobles knights 13th century Magna Carta King John and his vassals The number one problem King John was acting like a tyrant They people listed their grievances and this was their solution Kings must consult with vassals on important matters Ex If the King wants to go to war or tax the people he must ask his vassals for permission This led to the establishment of a Parliament called the House of Lords In modern England there is the upper house called the House of Lords and a lower house called the House of Commons Beginnings of Parliament begins checking on the will of a King French Revolution France is in debt and the king calls in the French Parliament to discuss a tax Parliament says no to the tax The King overrules the Parliament and does what he wants the Parliament get together and discuss getting rid of monarchies 3 Commercial Independence Merchant society is different 1 Status of Merchant Class Increases In China merchants parasites In the West merchants are the way to obtain desirable things 2 Less State Interference This creates a culture of cooperation that allows capitalism to become possible to develop For exam be able to explain why the West is different from other societies The Western Tradition Post Classical Era 1 2 Incubation period for Western Civilization Imitator Society What is its position in the Post Classical World it is not an important civilization like India or China 3 The Paradox of Exceptionality Paradox a series of two statements that contradict each other but are both true 1 Western Europe has the true faith meaning they are special and chosen by God 2 Western Europe is behind Why is this paradoxical Statement 2 makes them question statement 1 Arab people were successful that s why many people converted to Islam This was seen as the effect of favor from God In order for the statements to not contradict themselves anymore the West had to catch up Europe s Economic Dilemma 1 Dependent on Islamic Middlemen There was no direct route to the goods in Asia except through the Middle East The Ottomans made this difficult for Western Europe The problem with Middlemen The more hands an item passes through the more expensive it becomes The Arab world is the distributor and the Western Europe hated dealing with Muslims Trade deficit Western Europe had nothing that the other cultures wanted so they could only pay for the goods they wanted in silver and gold This depleted their treasury quickly 2 Lack of Resources No gold silver or goods to sell 3 Balance of Payments Issue End of Lecture
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